Ryunosuke Furudate of Akabu Sake Brewery

Mr. Furudate was born in Otsuchi, where he attended elementary and middle school. After graduating from high school in Kamaishi, he went to the Tokyo University of Agriculture to study brewing – sake brewing in particular. The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami happened in his first year. His family's business, Akabu Sake Brewery, was destroyed, but it relocated to Morioka and resumed business that same year. After graduating, he joined the company himself. He created a new brand, "AKABU", with the goal of brewing sake that's consumed all over Japan.

Nationally-recognized sake from Iwate

After being destroyed in the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, the Akabu Sake Brewery relocated to Morioka, and resumed business.

When he entered university, Mr. Furudate expected to join the family brewery someday. After the Great Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, he considered taking a different path, but in his third year he resolved to return to Iwate and brew sake.

After coming back to Iwate, he developed "AKABU", a new brand of sake to go alongside the existing "Hanamusume" brand. "I developed the 'AKABU' brand in 2014, using the study and experiences I'd gained so far. It has a very clean flavor. I hope people take the time to savor the taste. The brand's starting point was my ambition to make sake that everyone in the country could enjoy," he said.

Aiming to be an Iwate brand

Mr. Furudate, who still visits old friends in Otsuchi, also spoke about his home town. "I still remember what the town used to look like, but it's completely different now. I'd like to brew sake there someday, but in order to do I that I must first make great sake in Morioka, to use as a platform," he said.

Akabu's employees are mostly in their 20s or 30s. Mr. Furudate told us his goal for the future. "My aim isn't to increase the volume we produce, but for 'AKABU' to become a sake that represents Iwate," he said.